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| Swansea’s Wayne Routledge, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Swansea City at the Emirates stadium in London, Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) |
Arsenal's
title hopes were hit by a second consecutive defeat in the Premier League on
Wednesday as relegation struggler Swansea came from a goal behind to win 2-1 at
Emirates Stadium.
Associated Press report
continues:
Arsenal had a chance to
close on leader Leicester but lost at home to Swansea for the third time in
four years to leave Arsene Wenger's men six points off top spot in third place.
Joel Campbell opened the
scoring for the hosts in a game they dominated, hitting the woodwork three
times over the course of the night. But Wayne Routledge and Ashley Williams
scored the goals to seal a victory for the visitors that moved them six points
clear of the bottom three.
Swansea's went into the
game with the disruption of not having head coach Francesco Guidolin on the
bench as he was hospitalized with a chest infection.
And his side, managed on
the night by Alan Curtis, survived a near-onslaught on their goal as further
profligacy from the home side cost it dear.
Wenger said "I am
not in the mood" to discuss his team's title chances after the defeat.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech
sustained a calf problem and will be absent for Saturday's trip to title rival
Tottenham, with Wenger also confirming that Laurent Koscielny will miss out
with a calf problem of his own.
"At the moment I am
worrying more about the result," said Wenger, whose side lost to
Manchester United and Barcelona in its previous two matches.
"We've just lost
three games and that is always a very difficult moment for the team. So, at the
moment we don't dream, we have to be realistic and come back to what we do
well. And do the basics."
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Arsenal's manager Arsene
Wenger gestures to an official during the English Premier League soccer match
between Arsenal and Swansea City at the Emirates stadium in London, Wednesday,
March 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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Olivier Giroud, now
without a goal in 10 matches, was one of the main culprits but it was Alexis
Sanchez who thrashed against the post with the game's first clear chance.
Costa Rica international
Campbell was back in the side for his first league start in a month, and he
opened the scoring after sliding in to convert a pass from Sanchez.
Hector Bellerin then
stung the palms of Lukasz Fabianski, who jumped on the loose ball just in front
of the onrushing Aaron Ramsey.
Arsenal soon succumbed to
the sucker punch as Routledge ran in behind to collect Jack Cork's pass and
slide a shot past Cech to level with Swansea's first shot on target.
At the other end, Giroud
was the next to hit the woodwork - hammering a volley against the crossbar from
Per Mertesacker's header down.
The second half began
with the same pattern. Sanchez's touch still eluded him as he failed to connect
with a dangerous set-piece when eight yards out - with Wenger turning to Danny
Welbeck from the bench in the search for a second goal.
Sanchez hit the frame of
the goal for a second time as his free-kick beat Fabianski but shook the
crossbar.
Then the body blow to
Arsenal's title ambitions was delivered in scrappy style by defender Williams.
Gabriel fouled Andre Ayew
and Sigurdsson's free-kick was missed by Cech, with the ball bundled home by
Swansea skipper William to take the points.
Swansea
said 60-year-old Guidolin is in a "comfortable position" and his full
recovery is expected within a few days.
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